Kane Cornes simply cannot cop a lack of angst and frustration from the Western Bulldogs after their disappointing loss to Hawthorn on Sunday.
The Bulldogs were beaten by seven points to slump to a 3-5 record which has them sitting 11th on the ladder in the wake of Round 8.
It was all looking in order for the Dogs when they kicked the opening three goals within six minutes, but they were unable to get the job done against a far less experienced Hawks side that had won one game prior.
Cornes, who believes the Dogs have one of the best lists in the AFL, has been critical of Luke Beveridge’s team for some time now.
He again negatively assessed them for the way they were beaten at Marvel Stadium, criticising the club for the “continuous downplaying of expectations”.
“The fallout for the Dogs will probably be nothing. They’ll probably move on and there’ll be nothing to see here,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“I’ve had my say about the Western Bulldogs, I’ve been on record for the last 18 months about where they’re at, their inability to stop momentum, their lack of any defensive accountability and the fact that they are wasting one of the AFL’s best lists.
“When we see performances like that against a team that they should absolutely destroy, and we saw the first five minutes of that game and you think this is going to be a 10-goal win, but it doesn’t eventuate.
“Just the one thing I can’t cop is the continuous downplaying of expectations. Because you don’t get in Nick Coffield, James Harmes, Ryley Sanders, and trade away your first pick in this year’s draft if you think you’re in a rebuilding phase.
“I listen to Luke Beveridge and the way that he talks, it’s like a rebuilding coach. You’ve got Adam Treloar, Bailey Dale, Marcus Bontempelli, Tim English, Tom Liberatore, Aaron Naughton, Sam Darcy, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
“No team has as many weapons as the Western Bulldogs, yet they front up and play against a team on average that is two years younger and they lose the unlosable game under the roof at Marvel with those weapons in your forward line and those weapons in your midfield.
“I can’t cop it. Why is there no expectation from Luke Beveridge and the Western Bulldogs that they actually have enough weapons in this side?
“If they had a game plan and if the players were able to execute, they could be winning finals and playing off in prelim finals.
“I don’t get it and it continually does my head in.”
Cornes says he wants to at least see some disappointment and frustration from Beveridge.
He believes that the Dogs should consistently be contending, but they have a knack of underperforming every few weeks which is holding them back.
“I would have wanted a bit more frustration,” he added
“You haven’t just been beaten by Melbourne or Geelong, you’ve been beaten by a bunch of kids and we’re talking about being calm.
“I want a bit more Sam Mitchell from last week. Give me that I actually care and that I’m frustrated that we have a team with that many weapons (and we lost).
“I want a bit more angst and a bit more frustration that we are performing well under expectation.”
The Bulldogs have lost two in a row and four of their last five after a promising 2-1 start.
They next take on an embattled Richmond side at the MCG on Saturday night.
